The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for May 2015

15.05.2015 Chocimsk activist warns “double official” about initiation of his deprivation of powers

May 13, Chocimsk activist Valery Karankevich appealed to the member of the Chamber of Representativs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, representing Kryčaŭ constituency №83, Chairman of the Hrodna Regional Executive Committee Uladzimir Krautsou.

15.05.2015 Kryčaŭ residents continues to seek punishment of policeman for forgery

May 11, Kryčaŭ resident Mikalai Fedarenka appealed to the prosecutor of Kryčaŭ district, asking to investigate the destruction of the register of visitors of Kryčaŭ District Police Department for 2014 and find out the exact date of its destruction. In case of violations of law and other regulations of the Republic of Belarus on the part of officials of the Kryčaŭ DPD he asks to prosecute them because, according to the order of Minister of Internal Affairs the register of visits is to be kept for three years, and later put in the archive.

15.05.2015 Biaroza human rights activists intend to hold a picket demanding release of political prisoners

Biaroza human rights activists have filed an application for a picket on June 28 at the officially designated site, the city stadium, near the entrance from Lenin Street.

14.05.2015 Chairman of the village council considers beautification of mass grave “inexpedient”

Vitciebsk activists were invited to a meeting, which took place in the forest near the village of Hajsy. Excavated human remains are lying there in large pits. The activists have been demanding exhumation, examination and properly reburial of the unidentified persons for six months already.

14.05.2015 Mikhail Hladki has another chance to get compensation for 5 years in prison

Mikhail Hladki filed a supervisory appeal to Chair of the Minsk regional Court. There he expresses disagreement with the rulings of the Minsk District and Minsk Regional Court by which he is denied material and moral compensation for wrongful conviction under Part 1 st.139 Criminal Code, "murder".

14.05.2015 Mikalai Statkevich’s wife received first letter from Mahilyou prison

Maryna Adamovich, the wife of the political prisoner and a former candidate for presidency, has received the first letter from Mahilioŭ prison №4.

14.05.2015 Lawyer Pavel Sapelka: State has replaced the system of parole with giveaway amnesties

May 13 The House of Representatives of the National Assembly adopted in the first and second reading a bill on amnesty in connection with the 70th anniversary of the Victory. According to the Minister of Internal Affairs Ihar Shunevich if the amnesty law comes into force, it will concern some 8,600 convicts, 2.2 thousand which will be released from prison. Will there be political prisoners among them?

14.05.2015 Leanid Sudalenka is questioned as a witness in the case of pornography distribution

May 13 the HomieÍ regional department of the Investigative Committee questioned human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka, Chairman of the HomieÍ branch of the NGO "Legal Initiative" as a witness in the criminal case.

14.05.2015 Svietlahorsk District Court justifies medics who injected unknown substances to handicapped civil society activist

May 13, Svietlahorsk District Court finished hearing the civil case instigated on a lawsuit of wheel-chair user, civil society activist Yury Liashenka against ambulance medics. The plaintiff asked to find illegal the actions of the medics who had detained him at his one-man picket, driven him to the hospital and given injections of unknown substances.

13.05.2015 Members of Chamber of Representatives adopt draft bill on amnesty

May 13, the draft “On amnesty in connection with the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945". It was presented by the Minister of Interior, Ihar Shunevich. He reminded that the draft law had been prepared on errand of Aliaksandr Lukashenka.

13.05.2015 Infographics: death penalty in Belarus in 2009-2015

The campaign «Human Rights Defenders against Death Penalty in Belarus» was launched in 2009.

13.05.2015 Yury Rubtsou continues hunger strike and prepares for trial

Despite all persuasions of medics, Yury Rubtsou continues hungering at Baranavičy remand prison.

13.05.2015 Biaroza: court hearing on picket ban postponed to May 20

May 12 at 11 a.m. Biaroza District Court was to have started the consideration of the appeal of the local human rights defenders against the ban of the picket they intended to hold on March 25 to mark the 97-th anniversary of the Belarusian People's Republic and express solidarity with political prisoners.

13.05.2015 Bychaŭ police express dissatisfaction with Internet publication

Bychaŭ police demanded from Mahilioŭ resident Natallia to sign that he had no relation to a publication about one of its police inspectors at the website of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”.

13.05.2015 Mikalai Dziadok to serve another year in Horki colony

HRC “Viasna” has learned about the new place of imprisonment of political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok, who had been sentenced to another year in prison on February 26 for alleged willful disobedience to the prison administration.